Refilling Pens Using Bottled Ink With Shaky Or Similar Hands

[vivdunstan]

Ive mentioned this in my introductions thread and its been suggested I start a thread about it for people to share experiences, tips etc. I wasnt sure whether it should go in the inks section or the pens one, but because its fundamentally an issue about managing pens Ive opted for there.

 

I have a long term (25 years so far) progressive neurological illness. Among other things it makes it extremely difficult for me to control my hands reliably or steadily, especially when Im more tired.

 

For this reason Ive stuck to using ink cartridges with fountain pens for longer than Id like. Theyre just so much easier for me with shaky hands. But terrible on environmental grounds.

 

Ive also had a bad experience trying converters in the past, again largely due to my hand control issues. But Im now having another go, with my Visconti Van Gogh pen - my favourite - and a Visconti Deluxe Piston Converter newly bought. Its partial screw in, so is a bit more secure than other converters Ive tried before. First fill went well last night. Wish me luck!

 

On the downside a converter only holds a modest amount of ink and needs refilling more frequently than a pen with a larger capacity. I also have a TWSBI Diamond 580AL which can hold 4+ times the ink of my Visconti converter. And because its a direct piston filler, built in to the pen, its very easy for me to refill. And fills last ages. I keep that one inked up with a different ink, and use it for longer, more extended writing patches. But Im not so fond of it as I am of my Visconti. Ive ogled the new Visconti Midnight in Florence demonstrator pen. But apart from the jaw dropping price its probably too hefty for me to use comfortably.

 

Another option is of course to refill cartridges by syringe, but thats not a great one for me with my hands.

 

And family members can sometimes help. My husband has very shaky hands himself though!

 

Anyway just tossing this out there. How are other people with dodgy hands coping, whether from illness, age or just bad luck? What do you find works for you and what tips have you picked up over time?

 

Thanks all.

Edited January 11, 2020 by vivdunstan

[taimdala]

Well, I think I can offer a tip or two.

I don't have hand control issues but I am sometimes a bit clumsy. I bought a double shot glass, tall and narrow, on a whim a long while ago and finally found a good use for it.

 

Because it's narrow and it's a shot glass, it's the perfect size to hold pen paraphenalia like a cartridge for refilling with a syringe, or for holding an ink sample vial to free both my hands to get a syringe filled. The shot glass has a heavy bottom, so it's not very tippy. I've used it mostly as a sample vial holder and it's made filling from it so much easier.

 

Having both hands free to operate syringe or pen while filling seems to have solved the issues I've had being clumsy, too. Having to hold an open vial uprght and load a syringe and get the ink into the pen or the cartridge was simply too much for two hands to juggle all at once. The shot glass is like having an extra pair of hands.

 

If a double shot glass seems like a tipping hazard, put the shot glass in something broader and heavier, like a coffee mug. So, from the outside in, you have coffee mug, shot glass, ink vial. Each vessel adds a little more stability to the previous/inner one. And because the shot glass is narrow, skinny things like ink vials and cartridges will stand upright or near-upright in the narrow confines of the shot glass, making a cartridge easier to fill or an ink vial easier to draw from.

 

Anything that makes things easier, yes?

OH and one more thing: if the shot glass is taller than the ink vial, put some wadded-up facial tissue in the shot glass first, enough to allow the ink vial to protrude past the lip of the shot glass. This way you'll be able to hold the vial when removing it from the shot glass. You'll need to do the same thing for the ink cartridge, too. After all, you don't want to go fishing around for an ink-filled vessel, even in a shot glass. It'll be an inky mess if you do.

[bemon]

I don't share the same issues, but what about a vacuum filler? Once the piston is unscrewed you could put one hand on the bottle and depress the piston with the other.

[OCArt]

And if you'd like to try a vacuum filler without a major expense try the Wing Sung 699-- a copy of the Pilot 823 (without the gold nib, of course) and a *VERY* nice pen. I'd also suggest looking into a Visconti Traveling Inkwell or the lesser priced Pineider Pen Filler. Once filled with ink it's very mess free to load fountain pens. I'd also recommend a Pelikan or other piston-filled pen for the large ink capacity if you don't want a vacuum filler.

 

[flash=]

I don't share the same issues, but what about a vacuum filler? Once the piston is unscrewed you could put one hand on the bottle and depress the piston with the other.

[Parker51]

I suggest a large vintage lever filler, likely a Sheaffer's.

My experiance is they take much less precision fine motor control than other filling mechanisms.

I also suggest you use bottle ink which is easy to open, fill from and are unlikely to fall over. My choice would be the common Montblanc inks.

[WLSpec]

And if you'd like to try a vacuum filler without a major expense try the Wing Sung 699-- a copy of the Pilot 823 (without the gold nib, of course) and a *VERY* nice pen. I'd also suggest looking into a Visconti Traveling Inkwell or the lesser priced Pineider Pen Filler. Once filled with ink it's very mess free to load fountain pens. I'd also recommend a Pelikan or other piston-filled pen for the large ink capacity if you don't want a vacuum filler.

 

[flash=]

Hey, I've been wanting a 699 for a while now

 

I don't have these issues but yes, I think vacuum/piston filler is the way to go for you

 

I have a Sheaffer Balance plunger filler that is wonderfully easy to fill.

 

Good luck finding the right method!

[Maccabeus]

I don't share the same issues, but what about a vacuum filler? Once the piston is unscrewed you could put one hand on the bottle and depress the piston with the other.

 

 

And if you'd like to try a vacuum filler without a major expense try the Wing Sung 699-- a copy of the Pilot 823 (without the gold nib, of course) and a *VERY* nice pen.

 

This is exactly what I was going to recommend. I've been writing with my Wing Sung 699 exclusively for 4 months, and have been very pleased. A vac-filler, along with a stable platform for your ink bottle, might be a viable solution for you.

[Mech-for-i]

OK sure Vac filler is great but still for OP the problem is in the handling , so this is what's needed

 

 

This is my rack of 2X25 ( 50 total ) 10ml Lab Specimen Bottle in Clear and Dark Amber. Any Lab supply can sell you these, and the specimen bottle can be had from 1 ml all the way to 100ml ( and some even larger ones ) the typical 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 & 60 ml bottles are all cylindrical and similar racks that hold something like 10, 20, 50 ; the bottles as seen ; is pretty much locked down when placed in the rack and in itself this is a nice system to arrange the ink ( and ink samples )

 

Actually the typical plastic 5ML ink sample vile we typically encounter is just the same, a lab use container ( this time for freezing ) and they too can had racks ( usually just light weight injection molded plastic ) of say 50 or 100 but due to their weight they are not so secure as the glass & larger 10 to 50/60 ML bottle with their PMMA rack .

 

you can build yourself a rack of ink ( just transfer the ink from the factory bottle to the said specimen bottle using plastic large capacity dropper oh and remember to label it properly ) and it can do the job of holding the ink and bottle securely, now you will get both your hands on the pen and that should help with actually operating the Piston / Converter or whatever. if its still wobbling too much for the need, try the old lab trick, use a double sided tape on the bottom of the bottle so when it seat its sticking itself firmly on the rack

Edited January 11, 2020 by Mech-for-i

[Honeybadgers]

One thing you can do is similar to how artists steady their brushes - brace one hand against the bottle or table on your pinkie. hold the pen in one hand and just rest that hand on the table, using the other to actuate the filler.

[corniche]

Hello Vivdunstan,

 

I remember a while back, during my lurking days where people were making custom sized bottle holders out of Legos with excellent results.

 

Sean

[Bo Bo Olson]

MB bottles, empty ones can be found on Ebay.

Pelikan Edelstein bottles look good and are short and compact, not much chance of spilling them.

 

The basic Pelikan 4001 and Waterman bottles are good, can be tilted on the side for the last drops......but perhaps the Lamy bottle is better, in it has a dip in the middle for the last drops. It too is a very stable bottle.

Herbin makes a short stable bottle also.

 

I forgot to mention; most of my pens are piston pens....but as said lever pens like the Shaffer mentioned or a nice Esterbrook are fast and easy to fill.

Edited January 11, 2020 by Bo Bo Olson

[almoore]

Just a thought but a small piece of blu-tack on the base can help to stabilise things while you load a pen etc.

 

Al

[sail1942]

How about using the TWSBI ink bottle?

[bizhe]

Don't feel too guilty about cartridges.

[vivdunstan]

Thanks all. Yes knocking things over is an enormous problem for me. Ill move my hand, and frequently it will go slightly off aim, and whack something. Fortunately at our bathroom sink theres a good spot where I can place my ink bottle for filling and the sink keeps it secure, with raised sink areas hugging the outside of the bottle. I use 80ml Diamine bottles, which are very stable - big bottoms, and fit that space perfectly.

 

I am tempted by vacuum fillers and similar, but Id rather not change my pen unless I absolutely have to. I really, really like writing with my Visconti Van Gogh. And my TWSBI Diamond 580AL is a close second, and does have the big advantage of phenomenally easy built in piston filling. Having just about solved the ink stability issue my main challenge now is operating my hands to fill the pens easily. Still working on that one, though its getting easier.

 

I have briefly considered the Visconti Travelling Inkwell, but will check it out some more, and also the Pineider equivalent. Mucho thanks.

Edited January 11, 2020 by vivdunstan

[bemon]

 

 

 

This is exactly what I was going to recommend. I've been writing with my Wing Sung 699 exclusively for 4 months, and have been very pleased. A vac-filler, along with a stable platform for your ink bottle, might be a viable solution for you.

I've only got two vac fillers. The Pilot Custom 823 which is perfection, as you'd expect from a Japanese pen. The Visconti Homosapiens is a little finicky. Not just because I can't see how much ink it's drawn, but because it simply doesn't draw ink as consistently as the Pilot.

 

I can't comment on the Chinese knock off- I'm too much of a snob to even try But I'd recommend the Pilot Custom 823 all day every day. Expensive yes, but worth it in every last regard.

[tamiya]

Anyway just tossing this out there. How are other people with dodgy hands coping, whether from illness, age or just bad luck? What do you find works for you and what tips have you picked up over time?

 

I too have clumsy moments & as I prefer to fill with syringe or pipette to avoid contaminating the main bottle by dunking in dirty nibs, my desk pad gains a rainbow patina

 

In recent years have started decanting my most-used inks into little tiny squeezy bottles with a needle tip... they're perfect!

 

 

They can be found in 2 materials, the crystal clear transparent ones are PET & quite hard. There's a cloudier version made of PE and they're squishier. The hard ones take quite a bit of force to squeeze but give much finer control, I like the drop-by-drop - can mix inks in-cartridge.

 

Saves me setting up the syringes & washing out pipettes each time. Less spillage definitely.

[Driften]

The Pineider ink well works nice but might be easy to tip when filling the ink well, but with 10ml in it at a time it wouldn't need to be filled very often. The suggestion of the TWSBI ink well is a good one since the pen screws directly into it for filling and it has a wide base and good capacity it could be what you need but would only help you on the 580 of the pens you have but a traveling ink well works on most pens.

[amk]

I have arthritis and while most bottles aren't too much of a nuisance, ink vials or very upright ink bottles are a bit of a worry for me. I just grab a bit of plasticene and push the bottle into it.

 

The montblanc 'shoe' ink bottles are good. I also like the classic Waterman ink bottles and Pelikan 4001 bottles with their wide bases.

 

I also use that to support the shellac container when I'm resacking pens. The last thing you want is shellac all over the table. (Well, the next-to-last thing, the last thing you want being ink, of course.)

[kestrel]

I use a variation of Honeybadgers' procedure when micropipetting tiny amounts (thousandths of a milliliter) of liquid in the lab by hand. I rest my left forearm on the lab table and use the left hand to grasp the right wrist, stabilizing the right hand which is holding the pipet. A friend with late stage Parkinson's used a similar technique when writing by hand and it reduced the shaking considerably.

 

Taimdala's suggestion should help, too. More mass (shot glass) increases stability. Adding the coffee mug increases the stability even more. Scotland has a lot of stoneware utensil makers who make heavy, heavy coffee mugs. Great for this sort of thing.

 

Good luck.